The list of schengen visa countries contains 29 countries in 2026: 25 member states of the European Union (EU) and 4 countries that sit outside the EU. One short-stay Schengen visa covers all 29 countries, so a traveller crosses from one member state to the next without a fresh visa or a border check. Bulgaria and Romania hold the two newest seats at the table, because both countries became full members on 1 January 2025. This guide lists every member state, separates the EU members from the non-EU members, and explains the 2 EU countries that stay outside the area. Rules on stay limits, visa fees, and the new digital border systems follow the list.
What Is the Schengen Area?
The Schengen Area is a zone of 29 European countries that have abolished passport and border controls at their shared internal borders. Five countries signed the original Schengen Agreement in 1985 near the village of Schengen in Luxembourg, and the border-free system started operating in 1995. More than 450 million people live inside the area today. Member states guard one shared external border together, and the member states apply one common visa policy for short stays. A flight from Paris to Rome feels like a domestic hop, because no officer stamps a passport at either end of that trip. National police can still check identity documents inside a member state, so travellers carry a passport or identity card throughout a trip. Membership also brings shared tools, and police forces across the area query the same alert databases during routine checks.
How a Country Joins the Schengen Area
A country joins the Schengen Area only after the country adopts the full Schengen rulebook and passes a series of evaluations, and the Council of the European Union then votes to lift border controls. The rulebook, called the Schengen acquis, covers external border control, the common visa policy, police cooperation, and shared data systems. Inspectors test border posts, consulates, and databases during evaluation visits, and the candidate country fixes every gap the inspectors record. Only a unanimous Council decision opens the internal borders at the end of the process. Cyprus sits inside that evaluation pipeline today, and Cyprus shows why membership takes years rather than months. Bulgaria and Romania waited more than a decade between entry into the EU in 2007 and full Schengen membership in 2025. Croatia followed the same road at a similar pace, and full membership arrived for Croatia on 1 January 2023. A candidate country can apply parts of the visa rules early, if the Council grants partial application of the acquis before the final border decision lands.
The Full List of Schengen Visa Countries
The 29 schengen visa countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. The table below sorts the same list alphabetically and marks the EU status of each country. Bulgaria and Romania first dropped air and sea border checks on 31 March 2024, and land border checks followed on 1 January 2025. Croatia holds the seat before them, because Croatia entered the area on 1 January 2023. A traveller who lands in Sofia on a Schengen visa now drives into Greece or Romania without stopping at a land border post.
| Country | Member of the European Union (EU) |
|---|---|
| Austria | Yes |
| Belgium | Yes |
| Bulgaria | Yes |
| Croatia | Yes |
| Czechia | Yes |
| Denmark | Yes |
| Estonia | Yes |
| Finland | Yes |
| France | Yes |
| Germany | Yes |
| Greece | Yes |
| Hungary | Yes |
| Iceland | No |
| Italy | Yes |
| Latvia | Yes |
| Liechtenstein | No |
| Lithuania | Yes |
| Luxembourg | Yes |
| Malta | Yes |
| Netherlands | Yes |
| Norway | No |
| Poland | Yes |
| Portugal | Yes |
| Romania | Yes |
| Slovakia | Yes |
| Slovenia | Yes |
| Spain | Yes |
| Sweden | Yes |
| Switzerland | No |
Counting the table gives 25 Yes rows and 4 No rows. Island territories of member states, such as the Canary Islands of Spain and the Azores of Portugal, sit inside the area as part of the member state.
The 4 Schengen Countries Outside the European Union
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland are the 4 Schengen members that do not belong to the European Union. Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein take part through the European Economic Area (EEA), while Switzerland takes part through a set of bilateral agreements with the EU. All 4 countries also belong to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Norway and Iceland joined the area in 2001, Switzerland followed in 2008, and Liechtenstein completed the current non-EU group in 2011. Each of the 4 countries applies the same short-stay visa policy as the EU members, and each of the 4 countries counts visitor days toward the same 90-day limit. A week of skiing in the Swiss Alps uses the same allowance as a week on the French Riviera. Shoppers face one difference, because the 4 countries run their own customs rules and their own currencies or price levels outside the euro area arrangements of most EU members.
EU Countries That Are Not in the Schengen Area
Ireland and Cyprus are the 2 member states of the European Union that sit outside the Schengen Area in 2026. Ireland holds a formal opt-out under the EU treaties, and Ireland guards the Common Travel Area with the United Kingdom instead of joining Schengen. Cyprus participates in Schengen cooperation, although the Council has not yet lifted internal border controls for Cyprus, and the integration process for Cyprus is still underway. A Schengen visa gives no automatic right to enter either country, and both countries set entry conditions under national rules. Days in Dublin or Nicosia do not consume the 90-day Schengen allowance, because both cities sit outside the area. The United Kingdom also stays outside the area, and the United Kingdom was never a Schengen member before the country left the EU. Travellers who pair a continental tour with a Dublin weekend therefore plan 2 separate entry checks for one holiday.
Territories and Microstates: The Edge Cases of the Area
Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City hold open borders with the Schengen neighbours that surround the 3 microstates, and travellers enter the 3 microstates on a Schengen visa in practice. None of the 3 microstates signed the Schengen Agreement, and none of the 3 microstates issues visas. The border between France and Monaco functions like an internal Schengen crossing, so a visitor based in Nice can spend a day in Monte Carlo on the same visa. Two Danish territories run the opposite way, because the Faroe Islands and Greenland sit outside the Schengen Area although Denmark belongs to the area. Svalbard also sits outside the area, although mainland Norway belongs to the area. A ferry ride from Denmark to the Faroe Islands therefore passes a real border control, and days on the islands stay outside the 90-day count.
What Schengen Membership Means for Your Trip
One Schengen visa covers short stays in all 29 countries, and the stay cap is 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole area. The 90 days form one shared pool rather than a per-country allowance. Thirty days in Spain plus 30 days in Germany consume 60 days of the pool, and the rolling 180-day window decides the remaining balance. You apply at the consulate of the main destination country, and the first country of entry takes the application if a trip splits nights evenly between 2 or more countries. The standard visa fee is 90 euros for an adult and 45 euros for a child aged 6 to 12, and children under 6 pay no fee. Applications open 6 months before departure at the earliest, and a consulate needs the file at least 15 days before the travel date. Normal processing takes 15 days, and a detailed examination can stretch the wait to 45 days. Every applicant files travel medical insurance for the trip, and the European Commission lists insurance covering emergency medical care, hospitalisation, and repatriation among the required documents. Visa-exempt nationals, such as citizens of the United States, skip the visa step entirely and enter on a passport alone for the same 90 days. That shared design explains why the list of schengen visa countries matters before any booking, because one wrong assumption about a single country can break a whole itinerary.
The Three Forms of a Schengen Visa
A Schengen visa comes in 3 forms: a single-entry visa, a multiple-entry visa, and an airport transit visa. A single-entry visa allows one entry into the area, and the visa loses validity the moment the holder leaves the area. By contrast, a multiple-entry visa allows repeated entries throughout the validity of the visa, and frequent travellers with a clean record of earlier trips can receive a validity period of up to 5 years. An airport transit visa covers a connection through the international transit area of a Schengen airport, and the airport transit visa never allows the holder to leave the transit area. A nurse flying from Manila to Lima through Madrid on an airport transit visa waits in the transit lounge rather than entering Spain. Consulates decide the form case by case, and the visa sticker states the number of entries as 01, 02, or MULT. Applicants who need a long stay, such as a work posting or a degree course, apply for a national long-stay visa of the destination country instead, because the Schengen visa covers short stays only.
Border Checks in 2026: The Entry/Exit System and ETIAS
The Entry/Exit System (EES) now records the entries and exits of non-EU travellers digitally, and the system became fully operational on 10 April 2026. The European Commission started the progressive rollout of the EES on 12 October 2025, and border posts across the 29 countries switched on in stages over 6 months. Officers and self-service kiosks record a facial image and fingerprints at the first crossing, and passport stamps have given way to the digital record. A first-time visitor from Chicago landing in Frankfurt in 2026 therefore spends a few extra minutes at the booth while the system builds a personal file. The file then speeds up later crossings and flags overstays automatically. One layer earlier in the journey sits the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), an authorisation that will apply to visa-exempt travellers rather than to visa holders. ETIAS is currently not in operation, and the European Union will announce the specific start date several months before the launch. The official ETIAS website publishes a fee of 20 euros for the authorisation once applications open. Websites that sell an ETIAS approval today sell a product that does not exist, so travellers wait for the official launch announcement instead of paying a third party. Registration with the EES costs nothing, and no traveller files an application before departure for the EES. The system counts the days of each stay automatically, and an overstay alert reaches every member state at once.
FAQs
How many schengen visa countries are there in 2026?
29 countries form the Schengen Area in 2026. The group holds 25 member states of the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
Does one Schengen visa cover all 29 countries?
Yes. A short-stay Schengen visa issued by any member state covers travel in all 29 countries, and the holder stays up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Is the United Kingdom a Schengen country?
No. The United Kingdom never joined the Schengen Area, and the country left the European Union in 2020. A Schengen visa gives no right to enter the United Kingdom.
Is Ireland in the Schengen Area?
No. Ireland holds an opt-out from Schengen and runs a separate visa policy. The Common Travel Area with the United Kingdom takes priority for Ireland instead.
Can I visit Cyprus on a Schengen visa?
No. Cyprus is not a Schengen member yet, so a Schengen visa gives no automatic right of entry. National entry rules apply instead, and travellers check the Cyprus conditions before booking.
Is Switzerland a Schengen country?
Yes. Switzerland joined the Schengen Area in 2008 and applies the common visa policy. Days spent in Switzerland count toward the 90-day limit, although Switzerland stays outside the European Union.
Do Bulgaria and Romania count toward my 90 days?
Yes. Bulgaria and Romania became full Schengen members on 1 January 2025, and days spent in either country count toward the shared 90-day allowance like days anywhere else in the area.
How much does a Schengen visa cost in 2026?
The standard fee is 90 euros for an adult and 45 euros for a child aged 6 to 12. Children under 6 pay nothing, and some applicant categories qualify for a waiver.
Conclusion
The map of schengen visa countries now holds 29 names, and the count has stayed stable since Bulgaria and Romania completed the list on 1 January 2025. Membership, rather than geography alone, decides where one visa works: 25 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland sit inside, while Ireland and Cyprus stay outside the line. A traveller who checks each stop against the table above knows exactly where the 90-day clock runs and where a separate entry rule applies. Digital borders form the last piece of homework for 2026, because the EES already records every crossing and the ETIAS start date will follow in an official EU announcement.
